Ferns are the oldest tree-like and groundcover plants on planet Earth, which have managed to preserve not only their appearance and structure, but also their diversity of species. They live in all corners of the Earth, except Antarctica, the desert. Withstands drought, humidity, high and low temperatures, and is resistant to environmental changes.
Despite the fact that in modern environments, ferns no longer predominate in the plant world and are not huge in size, they amaze with their originality and mysterious beauty. An interesting representative of them is the bracken fern.
Bracken fern description and varieties
Bracken fern is characterized as a herbaceous perennial, class Fernaceae. It is a representative of the Dennstedtiaceae family. This plant can reach a height of 40 centimeters to one meter. It has a smooth trunk, without scales. The rhizome of the fern is quite developed and can grow in absolutely all directions, and also consists of horizontal and vertical black underground sprouts. Every year, young shoots are formed on such a creeping root system. The leaves of this fern have a pale green tint. They can reach a height of 70 centimeters and have a triangular, feather-like shape. They have a very rigid and dense structure. The stepsons of this plant are located at a distance of up to 20 centimeters from each other. At first they have a twisted shape, rather than resembling a snail shell. The leaves of this fern are located on the branches in pairs, and only the apical shoot is single. The leaves have blunt ends and are lobed at the base, lanceolate. Segments with dense and strong edges are wrapped. And on the lowest pair there are nectaries, which form and secrete sweetish water, which is very popular with ants. The root system of this fern is so large and strong that it can easily withstand very severe frosts and fires. Some scientists assure us that this fern is considered a multi-phylum species, while other botanists are sure that there are only about 10 of them. They are all quite similar, although most of them can be found in the wild. Let's look at some types:
— Pteridium aquilinumvar. Latiusculum
Can be seen growing in the grasslands of Ireland. A herbaceous perennial that has a main stem reaching a diameter of one centimeter. The leaves of this species are quite large and triangular in shape. In autumn, the green part of the fern dies off. The botanist from America M.I. first spoke about this variety. Fornald, specializing in seed plants and ferns.
— Pteridium aquilinumvar. Freei
This subspecies was first described by botanist-pteridologist from America U.R. Maxon.
— Pteridium aquilinumvar. Pseudocaudatum
This herbaceous plant was described by the American botanist, writer and naturalist W.N. Klute. Ferns of this subspecies like to grow in sufficiently lit places and open areas.
— Pteridium aquilinumvar. Latiusculum
This subspecies can be found growing in Japan, China, Canada, USA, Mexico and northern Europe. The first person to introduce this variety is the botanist, mycologist, and geology teacher L.M. Underwood.
In addition to these described subspecies, there are also such varieties as Pinetorum and Pteridium aquilinum subsp. Decompositum Lamoureux ex JAThomson.
It is generally accepted that this variety of fern is quite suitable for food, and in order not to accidentally confuse it with other poisonous species, it is necessary to know the main distinctive features:
— The height of this plant can reach up to one and a half meters, and this fern does not form a bush.
— Fern sprouts have the peculiarity of emerging from the soil one by one. Moreover, the distance between them remains approximately 15 centimeters. In this plant, shoots begin to emerge all together, simultaneously, and from one point.
— The stems of the plant have a clean and smooth structure, which lacks scales, villi and leaves.
It is very difficult to recognize an edible fern in the forest in the spring. After all, the stems are very similar in appearance. An addition will be the presence of old leaves of this fern that have survived the winter. They have a fairly clear pattern of geometric shapes, which each species has its own. This type of fern has leaves with the most round shape at the edges. Those areas where this type of fern grows should be remembered since the summer season, at a time when trips to the forest for berries and mushrooms are quite frequent.
There are a huge number of legends in the world associated with the fern flower. There is a rumor that he has a peculiarity of appearing on the night of Ivan Kupala. And, as the legend says, a treasure is buried in this place. And the flower is preserved and protected by evil spirits. The one who finds this flower will have happiness throughout his life. No one has ever found this flower, although even today people believe this legend. But scientists refute all legends and speculations, claiming that ferns do not produce color. The plant can reproduce only by spores, and not by seed. On the leaf, or more precisely on its lower part, there are small green or brown balls. It is in them that spores ripen - these are sporangia.
Use in cooking
Bracken fern (photo and description will explain in what form and how the plant is used for culinary purposes) in the form of rhizomes and shoots is often included in food:
- In Japan, Korea and China, rachis plants are mainly used. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of amino acids. At the same time, they are quite nutritious.
Bracken fern is used in oriental cuisine for pickling.
They can be cooked like olives or asparagus. Also, after soaking rachis in salty liquid, it is permissible to preserve, pickle, salt or fry. The taste of the prepared rachis is similar to mushrooms.
- In the Canary Islands, the dug up rhizomes are dried and then ground and added to flour when baking bread.
It is permissible not only to fry fern shoots, but also to extinguish them. Moreover, they can be included in side dishes, salads, and meat and fish delicacies. It is recommended to use as a filler when creating pancakes, pies or pies.
However, before direct consumption, you will need to remove all bitterness from the plant, as it can be poisonous. To do this, you need to immerse freshly collected raw materials in water and then boil in salted liquid for 3 minutes.
Soaking makes it possible to remove not only bitterness from the fern, but also toxic substances with excess salt.
The foliage is often torn off. Cooked shoots must curl into a ring. Afterwards you can taste them.
During the stewing process, the product changes its color to greenish-brown. The raw material harmonizes perfectly with peas, various cereals and potatoes. If it is necessary to add a component to a gravy or fatty sauce, the fern is initially dried and then crushed to a fine fraction.
While boiling the product, the desired texture of the shoots should be achieved. In this regard, it is recommended to undercook the product rather than overcook it. This is because overcooked fern feathers lose their crunch and flavor.
The welding process should not last more than 10 minutes. Then you will need to drain the liquid and rinse the raw materials under a stream of water. The product must be stored in the refrigerator compartment for several days.
In Japan, the plant is boiled only in a copper container, as this helps preserve the rich green hue of the fern.
Based on the description and photographs, the bracken fern is considered an edible and healthy plant because it contains a sufficient amount of nutrients. However, when consuming, it is necessary to remember that the culture has a number of contraindications.
Bracken fern propagation
Bracken fern is characterized as an asexual plant, so there are several methods of its propagation, these are: shoots, rhizome division and spores.
Reproduction of this plant by the vegetative method means the formation of rooted cuttings, which can then be separated from the main one and transplanted to their permanent place of growth. First of all, select fairly long and fluffy fern shoots. They are bent to the ground and pressed down a little with something heavy, such as a stone. This should be done in the spring, when active vegetative growth is underway. After some time, the arrow begins to sprout roots.
In the wild, lichens reproduce with the help of spores, but at home this method is considered a rather long and painstaking process. In September, the leaf is cut and dried. Afterwards, the spores are scraped off onto a piece of paper. The dried material for sowing remains stored until the winter season in sealed packaging. And from January to February they begin to prepare containers for seedlings. To do this, containers are filled with a mixture of peat and well moistened. The spores are poured out and covered with glass. In order for the spores to germinate, place the containers in a fairly bright and warm place, while not forgetting to constantly spray with warm water and ventilate. After about two months, green moss begins to form on the surface of the soil, at which point the glass is removed. When the seedlings have grown, they begin to be planted in separate containers, and by May the seedlings are completely ready for planting in open space.
The simplest and yet most effective way to propagate this type of fern is by dividing the roots. For this procedure, a sufficiently mature bush with a well-developed rhizome is taken, which can quickly recover after this pruning. In the spring, when the likelihood of frost has disappeared, you can begin to dig up bracken fern. The root system is divided into parts with one and two buds. The cut area should be treated with crushed activated carbon, and then immediately planted in fairly moist soil.
Contraindications
Bracken fern (the photo and description will tell you who should stop eating the plant so as not to cause harm to the body) is often used in home treatment.
Bracken fern is contraindicated for hypotension
However, you need to be especially careful and not get carried away too much, since during the treatment process the harm and benefit from using fern will not be the same.
It is necessary to understand that Bracken is poisonous and with large amounts of it, toxic substances can accumulate in the human body, provoking the opposite result to what was expected.
There is a group of people who are prohibited from using fern in treatment, this category includes the following:
- pregnant women or nursing mothers;
- hypotensive patients, who have constantly low blood pressure;
- people with chronic diseases at the time of their exacerbation;
- Small children.
Despite the fact that the bracken fern contains a large amount of vitamins and other nutrients, the poison contained inside should not be discounted, since its overdose can cause the following pathologies:
- dizziness;
- slow heartbeat;
- shortness of breath and suppression of respiratory functions;
- rapid reduction in blood pressure, fainting;
- severe pain in the temples or the back of the head;
- nausea and vomiting.
If the overdose is very high, death may occur. To prevent this condition, you must carefully follow the dosage and all recommendations for the use of raw materials, which are described in the recipe and on the packaging.
Where does bracken fern grow?
The most favorite place for this fern to grow is in light forests. It can be seen on all continents, except Antarctica, of course. The plant does not grow in deserts and steppes. Fern loves sandy soils, coniferous forests and deciduous ones where birch trees grow. Often this plant prefers to be located on open hills, thicket of bushes and forest edges. This fern clogs the grass at the edge and forms continuous thickets in a small area. Often, bracken fern can be seen growing in clearings, pastures, plantations, and abandoned fields. And during haymaking in some countries this plant is considered a rather difficult weed to remove. It can grow in the mountains, but only at a level not higher than the mid-mountain zone. In our country, this type of fern grows independently in regions such as Siberia, the Urals, the European part and the Far East. This type of plant has good growth and development in light and poor soils, and also grows well in limestone.
Let's look at such an issue as collecting ferns. This plant is harvested in mid-spring. If you look at folk signs, then this period comes when the lily of the valley begins to bloom, or the bird cherry fades. The collection should be carried out on young, new shoots; they break quite easily. If the sprouts have become stronger and denser, and begin to bend, then the collection needs to be completed. The stem should be 20 to 25 centimeters long and approximately one centimeter thick. They are cut off at the very base so that the crop can continue its development and growth. These shoots should be tied into bunches. The plant's sprouts harden quite quickly, which is why they need to be made quickly enough. These collected shoots are salted in separate clutches, and each layer is sprinkled quite heavily with table salt. Next, the top is covered and oppression is installed. The shoots remain in this position for approximately 15-20 days. And only after this time the tub is opened and the brine is drained. Afterwards, the upper layers are placed on the contrary downwards, and the lower ones in their place - on top. The brine is poured in again, but this time the amount of salt is reduced by approximately five times. Before use, this salted fern should be soaked in water for about 7 hours, and then boiled for about five minutes.
This type of fern is collected differently in different regions. Let's look at them:
- Leningrad region.
Harvesting of this plant in this region begins around mid-May and continues for about a month. Although the exact date may vary, it depends on the weather in the area. The signal that the fern is suitable for collection is a peculiar crunch. The period of this process is not long. That is why the plant can be frozen in batches, if it is impossible to immediately process it. Salting is done for longer storage.
— Moscow region
In the Moscow region, this type of fern grows almost everywhere: in deciduous plantings, pine forests, parks and gardens. Only new, young shoots are suitable for harvesting this plant. That is why the collection is carried out at an early stage of the growing season. This must be done before the leaves bloom and the shoots are still quite soft. The time period from the 15th of May to the first days of June is suitable for this process.
— Siberia
In this region, harvesting begins at the very end of May. It is necessary to monitor the sprouts in the forest in the spring, since there is no exact date of collection. The shoots begin to emerge from the soil together with the first flowers, and then the sprouts grow to the desired size.
— Ural
As mentioned above, this fern can be seen throughout our country. Also in the Urals you can find this plant on light slopes and in forests. For food consumption, they begin to collect it here from the second half of May, and this lasts approximately 25 days.
Bracken fern care
Although this type of fern is considered a forest crop, a large number of gardeners grow it in their garden plots. The plant is quite widely used in landscape compositions. But before growing, you need to know the main rules for caring for ferns:
— When purchasing an adult plant, you need to carefully examine its appearance. The leaves of the plant should be intact, green in color, without damage, dry and with a yellow tint. Before planting, the purchased fern should be left for a day in a shaded place so that the crop can regain its strength.
— The best place for this fern to grow is a shaded area of the garden. Thus, the leaves of the plant will have the most intense green shade, whereas in the sun the color of the leaves will be much paler.
— To grow this plant, you need fairly light soil with an average level of fertilization. A mixture of peat, fine sand and deciduous soil is ideal. This fern has good growth, growing in soil containing lime. But this plant should definitely not be planted in loam.
— In an open space, this plant can easily do without insulation for the winter. The leaves of the fern fall off, but its root system is so deep that it is not afraid of any frost.
— Keeping the soil constantly moist is considered a very important condition. Watering should be done immediately after the soil dries, but do not allow the liquid to stagnate.
— Fertilizers should be applied in doses. Fertilizers are applied for the first time when the first shoots form. For this purpose, special mineral complexes are used. The dosage must be observed as stated in the instructions.
Very often this fern is used to decorate swamps and streams, various reservoirs, since this plant is considered to be quite moisture-loving.
Possible harm
It is prohibited to eat bracken fern fresh. It must be soaked before cooking, and then boiled in salted liquid.
Also, you should not use overgrown stems, since an adult plant accumulates toxic substances in large quantities. Descriptions and photographs of the crop will tell you what danger the plant can pose to the body and health in general.
Bracken can bring both benefit and harm to a person. In this regard, if fern has not been included in the diet before, you should consult with your doctor before taking it for the first time .
He will advise how best to use the plant to get less harm and maximum benefit.
